Does the thought of tackling a weekend’s worth of household tasks and errands overwhelm you? You’re not alone.
Keeping track of moving tasks is easier said than done. We want to be organized. We’ve tried hundreds of times to keep a consistent schedule and plan ahead. We’ve heard hundreds of different approaches and methodologies to staying organized while staying sane.
Maybe nothing has stuck with you yet because the methods you’ve tried weren’t simple enough.
Kanban is an organizational approach that’s so insanely simple, we’re sad we didn’t invent it ourselves.
Kan you explain that, please?
Kanban is a $10 word to flaunt at your next trivia game. It simply defines a specific way to visually drag tasks from conception to completion. Next time you see a Toyota, think of Taiichi Ohno, the industrial engineer at the iconic automotive company who pioneered the Kanban method.
Onho developed Kanban as a way to match inventory levels to actual consumption, ensuring the perfect amount of product was being produced—no more, no less. This worked wonders for efficiency and profitability.
It’s not just a lifesaver for manufacturers anymore. Like many breakthrough inventions, Kanban has evolved and branched out into different forms. The methodology has had a moment in the last few years. It has taken on a simpler form for people who love (or need) to keep themselves organized at home or work.
In its simplest form, it organizes your tasks into to-do, in progress, and completed.
The essential components of a Kanban board are:
- Columns. This is how you organize which tasks are at which stage of completion. Your columns can be To-Do, In Progress, and Completed—or more complex than that.
- Visual signals. Sticky notes, cue cards, tickets, or anywhere else you can write a task and move it across columns on the board.
- Work in progress (WIP) limits. You can only have a certain number of “in progress” tasks at a time. You decide the number, but remember: the less multitasking you do, the faster you’ll get through each task.
- Delivery point. This is the “completed” stage. The goal of Kanban is to get your tasks to this point as quickly (and stress-free-ly) as possible.
Whether you use corkboard, whiteboard, or an online task management tool, the possibilities for your Kanban style are as endless as your to-do list.
What does this have to do with moving?
Here’s why we think Kanban works wonders for home moving scenarios:
- Every task you could possibly think of comes out of your head and onto paper.
- So, you stop wondering if you missed something important.
- You can see, at a glance, how many tasks are in progress.
- Moving tasks across the Kanban board shows tangible progress and keeps you motivated.
Need we say more? Kanban is revolutionary for a reason: it turns a load of seemingly unmanageable tasks into a visual, engaging, and sometimes fun activity.
Don’t forget to add “Research moving companies” to your Kanban board. Your future self will thank you. You can get that task started by reading about what Two Small Men with Big Hearts does to help home movers.